The blessedness of the righteous discoursed from Psal. 17, 15 /The blessednesse of the righteous discoursed from Psal. 17, 15 /

Therefore this leaves a black note upon those wretched souls, that are wholly strangers to such desires; that would be better satisfied to dwell always in dust; that shun the blessed face of God as Hell it self; and to whom the most despicable vanity is a more desirable sight, then that of divine glory. Miserable souls! consider your state, can that be your blessedness which you desire not? or do you think God will receive any into his blessed presence, to whom it shall be a burden? methinks, upon the reading of this, you should presently doom your selves, and see your sentence written in your breasts, compare your ⟨p. 236⟩hearts with his holy mans: See if there be any thing like this, in the temper of your Spirits; and never think well of your selves till you find it so.

5. The knowledge of God, ¹and conformity to him, are, in their own nature, apt to satisfy the desires of the soul, and even no• actually do so, in the measure wherein they are attained. Some things are not of a satisfying nature; there is nothing tending to satisfaction in them. And then the continual heaping together of such things, doth no more towards satisfaction, then the accumulating of Mathematical Points would towards the compacting of a solid body; or the multiplication of Ciphers only to the making of a sum. But what shall one day, satisfy, hath in it self a Power, and aptitude thereto. The act (when ever it is) supposes the power. Therefore the hungry craving soul, that would fain be h•ppy, but knows not how; needs not spend its days in making uncertain guesses, and fruitless attempts, and trials. It ma• […] •ts hovering thoughts, and upon af•••• […] given, say I have now found at […] satisfaction may be had; and have […] this to do; to bend all my powers hither, and intend this one thing, the possessing my self of this blessed rest; earnestly to ine […], and patiently to wait for it.